Stepping Stones Nursery

Warm relationships and a curriculum needing attention define the choice at Stepping Stones Nursery in Pembury. This is a small setting, with capacity for 20 children aged 3 to 60 months. Its appeal rests on the care children receive, while the organisation of their learning needs careful consideration.

At its December 2025 inspection, Ofsted judged safeguarding standards met and inclusion, welfare, leadership and behaviour at Expected standard, highlighting effective SEND support, while achievement and curriculum and teaching were judged Needs attention. Those distinctions matter: positive relationships and support for individual needs sit alongside weaknesses in educational planning.

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care. In everyday terms, play and planned experiences should help children build skills and understanding, with teaching organised around what they need to learn next.

In December 2025, children chose their own play and joined activities led by adults. A water tray prompted staff to add resources when more children wanted to participate, then introduce vocabulary through exploration. Babies and children with SEND also spent time in spaces arranged around their needs, alongside opportunities to play together.

At the December 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that learning lacked a clear sequence, including in mathematics and physical development, that some craft activities restricted children's own ideas through excessive adult direction, and required a broader, suitably challenging curriculum by 23 January 2026. Enjoyment and engagement therefore did not consistently translate into purposeful progression.

In December 2025, children approached staff for comfort, conversation and help. Quiet areas gave them somewhere to withdraw when overwhelmed, and staff supervised eating and sleeping. These arrangements made space for both companionship and a break from the group.

Support for individual needs included specialist equipment, additional staffing funded for children with SEND, and collaboration with parents and local professionals. Staff drew on children's home languages, pets and siblings in conversations. These were concrete ways of adapting care to the child rather than expecting every child to respond alike.

The nursery is at St. Anselms Catholic Church & Hall, Lower Green Road, Pembury, Tunbridge Wells, TN2 4DZ. It operates throughout the year. In December 2025, operating hours were 08:00 to 19:00, Monday to Friday.

The capacity of 20 is a whole-nursery figure, rather than the size of any individual group. That distinction is useful for families weighing the small overall setting against their child's day-to-day experience.

• Curriculum development. The December 2025 findings concerned challenge, sequencing and opportunities for children to pursue their own ideas. At a visit, ask how planning now connects activities to each child's next learning steps.
• Individual support. December 2025 practice included specialist resources and coordination with professionals for children with SEND. Discuss how those arrangements would translate into support for your child.

Stepping Stones suits families seeking a small overall setting, including those whose children need individually adapted care. The December 2025 account gives concrete examples of responsive relationships and tailored support. Educational planning deserves equal weight in the decision: the curriculum weaknesses affected both the challenge children received and the coordination of their learning.